State: Missouri
Link: https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm
Days: 1
Season: Fall
Hotel: Drury Inn & Suites St. Louis Southwest
Hikes: N/A
Ice Cream: Fritz’s Frozen Custard
Day 1
We started off by checking out the arch from the outside. It’s hard to convey how large it is by just looking at pictures. After we were done with that, we went into the museum. I’m not much of a history buff, but the museum was pretty cool. It included a lot of nice displays that showed the history of the area.
Once we were done going through the museum, we hitched a ride inside the arch to check out the city from the top. The ride to the top was a small 5 seat steel box. We had 4 people and it was a bit cozy. Once to the top, there was a great view of the city. The day we went was was clear so we could see pretty far. I’m a bit confused on why this is considered a National Park and not a National Historical Park or a National Monument, however, it was pretty cool.
We finished our day at this National Park by taking a stroll through the paths leading to the downtown area, just in time for lunch. We stopped at Sugarfire Smokehouse, and it was very good.
The next stop for the day was the free Saint Louis Zoo. Did I mention it was free? Parking was $10 for whoever you could fit in the car. This zoo was very nice!
We then headed to Ulysses S Grant National Historical Site.
Our final stop? You guessed it! A trip to Fritz’s Frozen Custard, which lived up to it’s claim, “best frozen custard in town.”
